14's Boys - West of Scotland
he Mother of All Sundays for Oban Lorne u14 boys
Mothering Sunday saw Oban Lorne U14 Boys pile onto a bus bound for West of Scotland RFC, returning the favour of an early-season fixture that still lingered in the memory. Back in September, West of Scotland had travelled north and left Oban with a 42–28 win.
But that Oban side barely resembles the one that took the field this weekend.
Back then, they were less a team and more a gathering of enthusiastic strangers — a gloriously chaotic collection of S1, S2 and S3 lads from Oban High who'd barely learned each other's names, and certainly hadn’t figured out the mysterious art of working together as a rugby team.
Six months of training, muddy Sundays and the occasional hard lesson later, this return match was the perfect chance to see just how far the boys had come.
The game was played on a pristine new astro pitch, with lovely dugouts for the coaches and travelling fans — particular mention to the Craig and MacDougall families, who arrived in numbers and made absolutely sure the entire ground knew which team they were there to support.
The warm-up was less enjoyable. A sudden rainstorm arrived just as the boys were stretching, leaving them hopping about the pitch trying to keep warm while icy rain seeped down their necks. Thankfully it blew through as quickly as it arrived, and at kick-off the skies had cleared and Oban were ready.
One of the biggest lessons Oban have learned this season is how to start quickly — and they did exactly that. From the first whistle it was clear this was not the same rabble that had turned out in September. Oban started with purpose and hunger, forcing errors through aggressive defence and pouncing immediately. The tireless Nathan Isaac and the thoroughly reborn Arran Goudy both got on the scoresheet early with dominant, well-taken tries — the kind of tries that come from knowing your role, trusting your teammates, and actually turning up to training.
West of Scotland hit back through their inside centre and captain, a human force of nature whose thighs were those to rival Sir Chris Hoy, who muscled his way over to make it a one-score game.
Captain Alex Ross soon decided the match needed a reminder of who was in charge, bursting through the West of Scotland defenders like a stag down a glen, to score Oban’s third try. Moments later Quinn Soames — who had heroically dragged himself out of bed at an ungodly hour to catch the CalMac from Mull — announced his arrival with a whirlwind run from outside centre that left defenders clutching thin air, as he raced forward and before you knew it… try… under the posts. Thank you very much!
After a breathless opening 20, the scoreboard read Oban 26 – 5 West of Scotland.
Sensing trouble, West of Scotland emptied the bench and brought on reinforcements, adding both size and muscle. What followed was a proper slugfest.
The boys gave it their all, they were strong and brave, and cracking tackles were put in all over the pitch, with Sam Wilson, Callum Breslin and Rory Vollum all putting their bodies on the line and chopping down attackers left, right and centre.
However, the West of Scotland captain continued to cause chaos with enormous carries that had Oban’s bravest tacklers clinging on for dear life, often discovering that wrapping arms around thighs roughly the size of tree trunks is easier said than done. Two more tries followed for the home side.
But Oban had their own unstoppable force in Soames. Mixing brute strength with electric pace, he rampaged through defenders all afternoon to complete a superb hat-trick of tries. The highlight was a mesmeric run that began deep inside his own 22 and ended under the opposition posts, leaving battereddefenders scattered behind him.
At the 40-minute mark, the score stood at Oban 40 – 19 West of Scotland.
The final third of the match told perhaps the most satisfying story of all. In the first game against West of Scotland, Oban had faded late, it was two tries in the dying minutes that lost it for them in September. This time it was Oban’s turn to dominate and finish strongly – it’s the kind of ruthless instincts that we love to see in the team.
Ross powered over to complete a deserved hat-trick, while Cormack MacDougall added the final flourish with a try beneath the posts to seal an emphatic victory, 61-24 to Oban.
Not everything was perfect, of course. At times there was alack of intensity at the ruck, and the handling errors came thick and fast enough to prompt the occasional Homer Simpson-style “D’oh!” from the sidelines.
The comedy-clanger of the day, however, belonged to Nathan Isaac. Spotting a loose ball, he expertly scooped it up, burst through the defensive line, shrugged off a high tackle and sprinted clear with absolutely nobody within five metres of him. The crowd prepared to celebrate.
And then… somehow… the ball popped loose from his grasp as he went to place it down. The groans from the touchline could probably be heard back in Oban.
Isaac’s response was perfect: a rye smile, a quick shrug, and straight back into the game giving 100% — much to the amusement of his teammates.
And perhaps that moment summed up this team perfectly.
Over the course of the season, these boys have gone from a group of individuals who barely knew each other to a squad that works hard, backs each other up and — most importantly — enjoys playing together. Training sessions, tough matches and plenty of laughs along the way have built something far stronger than the rag-tag outfit that first ran out together in September.
The final whistle might have ended the game, but the singing, laughter and general chaos on the bus ride home showed exactly what this team has become.
A proper team — and a noisy one at that!
